tl;dr: Help us help sick kids at Children’s National Medical Center in DC. Donate here.

It’s that time again: summer is, well, slowly fading to fall, Postseason baseball is in full swing, and our yearly Extra Life marathon benefiting the Children's National Medical Center located in Washington, DC, is just around the corner.

If you’re a new reader to the site this season, or just haven’t seen our previous Extra Life endeavors; Extra Life is a 24-hour video game marathon benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. We specifically chose all proceeds donated to our campaign to benefit Children’s National Medical Center; where thousands of children are treated each year, regardless of their family's ability to pay. These kids are facing scary stuff like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and injuries from accidents to name just a few.

Extra Life began in 2008 as a way of honoring a young lady named Victoria Enmon. Tori’s battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia inspired the Sarcastic Gamer Community in a way that is difficult to describe. Members sent in video games and bought gifts to keep Tori’s spirits up despite numerous hospital stays and three bouts with the deadly disease. Tragically, Tori passed away in January 2008. Later that year, Extra Life, a 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for the hospital that treated and fought beside Tori, was born. In 2008 and 2009 Extra Life raised a combined $302,000; 100 percent of which went directly to help kids like Tori at the Texas Children’s Hospital.

While thousands of gamers, over 100 websites, and more than 12,000 donors were happy to support Extra Life, many expressed their desire to raise money to help kids closer to home.

Since 2012 Citizens has participated in six Extra Life marathons, raising just shy of $4,300 for Children's National. Six years in and I continue to be amazed at just how gratifying it is to be able to raise money for the cause. More importantly the event continues to make me want to do more, to be able to raise more and once I’ve caught up on sleep I’m already eagerly awaiting information about the following year’s event.

On November 3rd, 2018, I (along with members of the Citizens staff) will again be participating in this huge worldwide celebration of the social impact of gamers of all kinds from video games to board games and tabletop RPG's! It's my sincere hope that you'll find it in your heart to support my efforts with a monthly pledge or one-time gift that will go directly to Children’s National. We are looking break the $500 barrier again and honestly, we’d love to blow that goal away; but we can’t do this with YOUR help. There are a few things you can do to help the cause:

Second, get the word out. Twitter and Facebook are phenomenal ways to get more people aware. RT's and Shares on Facebook are extremely helpful.

I also encourage you to learn more about your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and to meet some of the kids we’ll be working to help. When you donate, you won’t just be raising money for kids. You’ll be supporting LOCAL kids and their families. Kids right in your own backyard.

Last year, Extra Life raised more than $11.1 million to save kids, but in 2018 our goals, just like the needs of the kids we serve, are much, much higher.